Maddie is a dog of routines. Routines that she herself has established. In fact, she has replaced some of our routines with her own. For example, I used to put my Saturday blog post up somewhere between 7:00 am and 8:30 am. Occasionally, I would even publish it in the afternoon or early evening. These days, that post gets scheduled for publication at 6:04 am. That’s because, I used to get up around 6:15 am on Saturday, get some coffee and go sit at my laptop. Now, I get up at 6:15 am, get a cup of coffee and go sit with Maddie. It’s our time. It’s a thing that we do. I don’t know whether it’s a thing I have to do for her or one that she feels she has to do for me, but it’s a thing for certain.

One of the other things that we do is walk. Maddie loves to walk. Not the “I have to walk the dog to do her business” kind of walk, rather the “I want to check out my ‘hood” kind. During the week, the Mrs. walks Maddie. There’s no telling where they might go. There are several alternatives. When I walk Maddie, it’s through Veterans Park.

Most days, our walk through the park is, well, a walk in the park. It’s uneventful, or the events are: we see a squirrel, we see another dog, or we see the woman jogger who always says hi to Maddie. Sometimes, we see a stranger who says “Oh, what a pretty dog!” Sometimes, we pass a stranger and they don’t say anything. Maddie looks at me and I say: “she thinks you’re a pretty dog, but she’s shy.” Every now and then, we see the black squirrel, or a baseball or a soccer team setting up or the sky is extra pretty or the leaves are turning or the flowers are blooming, or something is somehow inspiring. Maddie never seems inspired. Well, the black squirrel does get her attention, but so do grey squirrels. Maddie only knows that something is inspiring because I keep stopping to take pictures.

Like Sunday.

It was foggy.

I know, I said that in the title, but it’s taken me almost 350 words to get to that point. Sorry, maybe I should have a photo blog.

Fog or no fog, Maddie was going for her walk. She went over and stood by her harness, stamped her feets and made noises that mean: “hey, it’s time for my walk.” I knew it was still very foggy, so I decided to bring my camera. The fog was inspiring, but in a way that I didn’t expect.

I’ve walked through this park hundreds of times. I know this park like the back of my hand, yet the fog caused me to see it differently. The park revealed itself through the fog in a rolling 300 foot swath of clarity. Beyond that, the park quickly faded away. I started questioning what I knew about this park. Where is the pavilion? Where is the warning track on that ballfield? When exactly does this path turn to the right? What or who is making that noise?

I started to wonder:

If part of the problem in the world today is related to how much we know? Can we see so much that we are overlooking critical details? Are we ignoring the local, little disasters? Are we so focused on the broad universe of extreme events that we forget about the ordinary issues and problems that play out right in our neighborhood? Have we gotten to the point where we only pay attention to what someone calls “breaking news?”

The photo gallery is from our walk. I’ll leave you with the song that I started thinking about as I began to wonder about all these things, “Dr My Eyes” by Jackson Browne.

“Doctor, my eyes have seen the yearsAnd the slow parade of fears without cryingNow I want to understand

I have done all that I couldTo see the evil and the good without hidingYou must help me if you can

Doctor, my eyesTell me what is wrongWas I unwise to leave them open for so long?”

Behind the football field is a baseball field and a soccer field. On a clear day, you can see them all.

These woods are full of squirrels working hard to gather food. Maddie wants to go find them.

This is the large park that we walk around. At least one of my readers will appreciate that they added Merchant Marines to the sign.

This is the Veterans Memorial in the center of the park.

The sun is working hard to burn the fog off the soccer field.

I like it when multiple lamp poles blend into one line.

There is a ball field over there.

We need to cross this field and find the path that heads back to the street. It’s there, really.

Across the street is a smaller park. Our first Irish Setter, Mitzi, used to love to play there.

I took this from Maddie-eye-level. Things seem a little less foggy down here.

Finally, we managed to see one of the squirrels we had been hearing throughout the walk

Still foggy when we got home, but we’re good.

I’m not great with selfies. This is me and Maddie getting ready to roll.

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Published by Dan Antion

Husband, father, woodworker, cyclist, photographer, geek - oh wait, I’m writing this like I only have 140 characters. I am all those things, and more, and all of these passions present me with opportunities to observe, and think about things that I can’t write about in other places. I have started this blog to catch the stuff that falls out, overflows and just plain doesn’t fit the other containers in my life.
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67 thoughts on “A Curious Walk in the Fog”

Dan!! I walked after I drove up for my early morning eye appointment for Sears optical I go through the countryside. I have (I think) a post for tomorrow made of the crystalline formations on weeds and I took several cemetery photographs of fog, mist and what some call a “hoar or hoary” frost. My photos are in color but great minds think alike.
I loved seeing Jackson Browne in Cleveland in my early 20’s. Great song choice for the mystical post.
The cemetery photos are scheduled for January just seems wrong for my vision of holidays.
Although the ghost of Christmas past could wander through! :) Have a wonderful week, Dan, the editor, Faith and Maddie.

Thanks Robin. Great minds do think alike. I look forward to your post. There’s a cemetery post in my future as well, as soon as a friend of mine and I get our schedules connected. It may not be until spring.

It’s true. I started to carry this post off in that direction but I decided to give you a break and keep it under 800 words for a change and to let people form their own conclusions. Thanks for adding yours. I feel better now.

Some time ago, The Mister drove to work and I had to drive the van back home in the fog. The boy one or someone was at the house, because I remember specifically the girls weren’t with me. It was 5ish and I was afraid for my life. The area I drove through is one I know like the back of my own hand — my own hood, my old stomping grounds, as one would say. But in that much fog, for most of the trip, I had no idea where I was, and had the startling revelation at how I had to be right up on a landmark to even see it. For instance, I drove primarily down one busy thoroughfare, and then all of a sudden, the lit up UNITED METHODIST CHURCH sign was to my right, but I never saw it coming, nor did I see the 30 other things on that road. I knew my turn was near, but I couldn’t see the street signs or the landmarks. In my head, I think I know how many streets are between, but I don’t actually. I missed 56th. I missed 48th. I finally turned when I could see downtown, since I knew I was too far south. Then it was another long drive to my own thoroughfare, with just nothin. I couldn’t see a thing. If there hadn’t been a sign on the ground at the corner, I wouldn’t have known to turn.
It was unnerving to say the least. It reminded me of horror movies and I feared I’d never make it home.
The fog hung around that day until well past lunch.

One day in October, I took Sadie for our walk around the park, and I sure was glad the park still has circular paths!

I think I’d rather be walking than driving. I had been driving the Mrs earlier that day, but the fog was only really bad in short segments along the way. It seemed to hang over the park though. I was thinking the Maddie could probably lead me home, but then I realized how much she likes walking. She’d have me out there all day.

Dan, I love your images and the little parable you thought about concerning the fog and becoming more local in our perceptions. I warm to that. Most times the breaking news is right there close to us. I love the silence that seems to come over things when there’s fog. I could almost hear that silence in your images. Give my regards to Maddie. She sounds delightful.

Thanks Don. I do like the silence of the fog and I also like the way sounds have no known source. A plane was landing while we were walking. Since we are so close to the airport, I doubt they are more than 150 feet overhead at the point where they cross the football field. We could hear it, but we couldn’t see it. Maddie is delightful on her walks. Unfortunately, she is not getting along with our cats. We’re befuddled at the moment.

Fabulous shots, Dan. I love fog. Give Maggie my thanks for nudging you outdoors. We do lose ‘local’ often because it is overrun by more sensational intrusions from more distant locales. For good or bad, statistics (and personal experience) show that we are significantly impacted within our usual range of daily life. We ought to simultaneously rejoice and pay attention.

Thanks for stopping by Sammy. I struggle with posts like this. I don’t mean to suggest that the big stories aren’t “big stories” but I often wonder “what happened here that didn’t make the news today?” I think the exercise is good for me and it seems necessary for the pup. The fog was a bonus.

Love love love this post!! Both the stories about your dog and the fog (hey, made a rhyme). On our third and fourth dogs (we rescued them together) it’s amazing how our lives adapt around each other. Our two girls are different than our last boy though, so it has required us to change again. All in a good way though! And love your message about paying more attention to what is around us. We are barraged daily by images and news from all over and it’s calming to me to walk the same steps I have walked before but see things in a new light.

Thanks Deb. I think you summed it up well in your last sentence. Maddie is our forth Setter, and the hardest to adapt to. She has been a challenge from the word ‘go’ but walking with her seems to help, so we walk.

I’m one of those oddballs who actually loves the fog (unless I have to drive in it). Where I live the fog rolls over the hills in the evening and it’s always a welcome sight – particularly on a hot day! Lovely pics and Maddie sounds like a fun companion!

Thanks Jan. I enjoy the fog, except, as you mentioned, if I have to drive in it. During the winter, we sometimes have freezing fog which is treacherous and yet beautiful. It’s hard to predict when we will have a “good fog” – this one lasted until about 11:00 am.

Great post. I like the atmosphere your suggest with the fog. The fog obscures stuff and makes it a bit scary but also mysterious and fun. Some nice photos. The squirrel is cute. I always thought that song was very sad. Maybe you were referring to the recent terrorism in California. That event made me frustrated and angry. I am glad you and your dog spend some peaceful time together even if it’s just sitting together.

Thanks Deborah. That song always did make me sad but I never felt that I understood it. Lately I feel a little closer to it. It’s not just the events in California, but we hear about these things and seem to take in stride the fact that several cities in Connecticut on are their way to a record number of murders this year. So many things need to be fixed

I like this post, Dan, for a whole lot of reasons. First, the dog. Maddie sounds just like Honey and Lulu. Do something twice in a row and now it’s the new routine! It’s hysterical. But I also love fog. I like how disorienting it is. And you are right, we often surrender details to the splash of big news or the seeming ordinariness of our days. A nice reminder to keep our eyes open and stay present.

Thanks for the comment. Your right, sometimes we only have to do something once or twice and Bam! it’s a thing we do. It’s a very strange feeling to be disoriented in a place that is so familiar. I’m glad you liked this post.

I love fog, except behind the wheels. Walking through a familiar landscape on a foggy day is like discovering a foreign land. Maddie is lovely and such a great companion. The photos are just eerie enough. In these times of turmoil in so many parts of the world, a walk in the fog with a beloved day tells us of what matters in life. Enjoy the season, Dan.

Fog always puts a different cloak on our world. It goes from the routine to the mysterious. As I kept reading about your walk with Maddie, I thought I was going to have to search for a photo, but you closed the story with one. Maddie is a pretty girl, and I’m guessing she appreciates such a caring family. :-)

What a great post, Dan. I love that you get up and sit with Maddie. I love getting up when it is just me and the cats. I like my mornings quiet (until I decide otherwise!) and they are the best, quietest company. “Fog comes in on little cat feet….”

Thanks! Maddie didn’t seem to mind, but I don’t think it’s as foggy at ground level. She’s just so happy to be walking, I don’t think she cares. She likes to walk in the rain and I’m pretty sure she’s not going to be bothered by snow (she loves playing when it’s snowing). I hope Cody gets to share the experience with you..

Fog is so interesting…it begs to be photographed. You did a fabulous job, Dan, but my favorite photo is your selfie with Maddie. Those big brown eyes are irresistable! You are a good doggie dad that you would put aside your blogging for a furry friend. Right now, Gibbs is staring at me, probably wondering when the heck I’m going to get off the computer…

Thanks Mary. Maddie was getting a little annoyed with the photos but the fog was really interesting. I’m glad you like the selfie. that was the hardest part. She’s good with me taking photos of her, but when I try to get in them, she’s a bit put off. Give Gibbs a scritch for me.

Truly a great post! And you do have a phot blog my friend – a writing and photo blog mix! This made the pet lover side of me smile so much – warming really! And now I will skim some of the comments – but woof woof

Hmmmm …. I can “feel” this is going to be a rather long comment. So I may as well settle back with my coffee and begin.
Firstly, we seem to be somewhat on the same wavelength and this is good. I couldn’t agree with you more how so many people are focused on “breaking news” or horror stories told by others, that those stories now become their reality blocking out everything else. Grrrrrrr …… Just makes me want to shake these people and shout in their ear, “WAKE UP! Your “reality” is a drop in the bucket compared to the BIG PICTURE! STOP focusing on fear!!!”
Your photos of the fog …. Dan, every time I get over here they just keep on getting better. Something has changed in you and it is good. Your eye has become more “sensitive” to shape, form, and substance. There is a quiet and a Peace in your images here today. I especially like the one with the lone tree. Now that one really spoke to me. And my most favorite of all was your selfie with Mattie. The expression on both of your faces said it all … LOVE. I understand completely how our 4 feets friends “dictate” as to what we do with our time. It’s time well spent if you ask me!! As for your beard, I really like the look! It makes you look wise and sophisticated. How does your wife feel about it? I’m only asking ’cause I know beards can be a bit scratchy.
Wrapping this up ….. GREAT POST!! Your writing, my friend, has become light Hearted lately, and OH this is absolutely a Gift you are giving all who read your words. Everyone who reads this post goes away with a smile on his or her face. I know there is one on mine now!!! <3

Thank you so much for this comment Amy. Every now and then I feel the need to approach a serious topic, or to approach a topic seriously. It doesn’t happen often and I always push ‘publish’ with a little trepidation. Still, when something feels right, I tend to say it.

Thanks for the comments on the photos. I have been trusting my eye more often these days, and I really like the camera that I’m using. It has a pretty large screen, so it’s easier to see what I might end up with. The bad new, I broke my camera later that same day. The good news is that I bought a no-questions-ask fair trade warranty. I should be back in business soon, but in the meantime, I’m stepping back to a camera that I don’t like.

As for the beard, my wife requires that I keep it. I got rid of it for a while, but she complained.

SMILING!!! (about the beard) Your wife has good taste! LOL (sad face) Drats about the camera. *good for you* Keep on telling the Truth, Dan. There have been times I have dove under my bed covers after I hit the publish button. Now I have gotten to a point I take a deep breath and plunge right on in. You would not believe the amount of comments I received from my last post on “fear” and what some people said. I’m still working through those comments. I will shout it over and over and over again that there is nothing to fear but fear itself.
Anywho … I’m returning to this GLORIOUS park today! Crossing fingers for you that you get your camera back because I KNOW how much fun I am having with mine and how lost I would feel without it. Have a great day, my friend!!! <3

I love fog. I’m sure this is because I grew up where fog was a rarity. For some odd reason, Colorado doesn’t get a lot of fog, or even mist. Either there’s enough moisture coming out of the clouds to produce rain or snow or it’s just a cloudy day when you can see almost the same distance away as you can on a sunny day. Fog gets me thinking about hauntings and strange people. Okay, so I have a dark side.

Great pics, Dan, as always. You should run a photo blog, no question. There’s a certain beauty to fog, but also a bit of apprehensiveness too, I think. I like the look of it, if only because I can pretend I’m in some mystery thriller or ghost story. It looks as if a crumbling castle is going to rise up, and I’ll feel myself inexplicably drawn in. With luck, I can escape the madness I find inside, perhaps with the help of a benevolent phantom who warns me about the curse that still hangs over the property. There’s a movie I’d like to see.

I love fog! It has become one of my favorite photography subject. I also love how it changes the way we perceive things.
Maddie sounds like a lovely dog and she is pretty. I think my Balu would like her very much :-)

I especially enjoyed ““she thinks you’re a pretty dog, but she’s shy,” and your reflections on how we view the world; are we perhaps missing important details in the interest of catching the latest breaking news bit. Words worth thinking about, Dan.

These images reminded me of my sister’s place – Lonavala (pronounced as Lo-now-ala). Its a hill station just few hours from Mumbai and it can get really foggy during winters and monsoon season. Right now the climate there is almost like in the pictures, so you’ll find half the Mumbai city enjoying their holidays in the hills.